McDonald's to Give Specifics of Menu Ingredients

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Oak Brook, Illinois-McDonald's announced recently
that it will begin providing the specific source-dairy, meat or
vegetable-of the natural flavorings in some menu items in an effort
to address customer requests and complaints. The information will
be available on the company's Web site and in pamphlets in its
restaurants.

The company has used the current state and federal guidelines
for labeling, a system that does not include specifically
describing the nature of a "natural flavor."

"Some of our customers have told us that the current state
and federal labeling standards don't give them as much
information as they want to answer their dietary questions,"
McDonald's Ken Koziol said in a statement. "If our
customers want more information about natural flavors to help them
make informed choices, then we want to help them."

This spring, vegetarians in Seattle and Houston filed separate
lawsuits against McDonald's, accusing the corporation of using
beef flavoring in french fries despite promises that it would use
vegetable oil. News reports of the case also outraged some Hindus
in India, who smashed windows at McDonald's franchises in
protest. The company has apologized for any confusion.

Mike Gordon, a McDonald's spokesperson, declined to comment
on the litigation but said the lawsuits and general questions from
the public had "heightened the company's
awareness."

The new policy pertains only to McDonald's permanent menu
and not promotional or seasonal items, officials said.
-AP